TWI537110B - Method for point calibration for robotic arm - Google Patents

Description

Robot arm point correction method

The invention relates to a method for correcting the position of a mechanical arm, in particular to a method for correcting a mechanical arm that is relatively perpendicular to a plane of a mechanical arm and a container structure, and the mechanical arm is vertically aligned by an automated point correction. One of the substrates to be taken, such as the substrate of the liquid crystal panel or the wafer of the semiconductor, is taken out or placed in the structure of the receiving container, so as not to cause scratching of the object to be taken.

According to the current, in the semiconductor factory or the LCD panel factory, the container structure is used as a carrier for wafer transportation, and the container structure for carrying the wafer or the panel is a so-called wafer cassette or Front-opening unified pods (FOUP), especially in the complicated production process of semiconductor factories, wafers are often due to process requirements, such as the front-end component process, the middle-stage cobalt, nickel process, and the rear aluminum and copper. The switching of the process, etc., must be replaced by the boat box to prevent the problem of inefficiency caused by the contamination of the semiconductor components, and the process of replacing the wafer boat is often tedious in the current production structure of the semiconductor process. Time to wait for the replacement of the machine and the execution of the system, thus delaying a lot of production cycles, further improving the time and mode of the boat replacement in order to quickly shorten the wafer manufacturing under the requirements of the conductor factory to ensure production efficiency and reduce the production cycle. The cycle, effectively freeing up the capacity of more replacement machines for other products, is currently the task of the semiconductor factory.

At present, the wafer boat replacement in the semiconductor factory is using a photographic device such as a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) for scanning and positioning. In the replacement machine that conforms to the specification of the semiconductor wafer transfer cassette, the charge transfer element is used to confirm the loading position of the wafer transfer cassette by the above scanning method, and then the wafer to be placed in the wafer transfer cassette is required by the computer operation. The robotic arm is placed; however, the charge-coupled element scanning operation often takes a lot of time. In addition, since the scanning of the charge-coupled element is only for the vertical scanning of the built-in position of the wafer transfer cassette, the horizontal position is accurate and unknown, and The robot arm is mounted on the replacement machine of the wafer transfer box, so it is necessary to try to displace the machine horizontally. Otherwise, it will cause the wafer held by the robot arm to hit the wafer transfer box and cause the wafer to be broken. In addition, the point correction of the container structure is initially set by the online personnel on the machine step by step and let the machine remember the "teaching" method to complete the program setting, followed by the same product Or the container structure works with the same program. If there is a new product or a new container structure, the online staff must do it again. "Teaching" to create a new program for new products, and a "teaching" time often takes two or three hours to complete. In a panel factory or fab that emphasizes efficiency and shortens the production cycle, the time is not enough. Therefore, in order to effectively achieve the omnidirectional positioning of the container structure, the robot arm does not crush or scratch the wafer and the panel due to the structural offset of the container when transferring the wafer or the panel, and can effectively reduce the receipt. The time required to correct the structure of the container to shorten the increasingly complex production cycle is still a problem that semiconductor or liquid crystal panel equipment manufacturers must continue to overcome and solve.

Nowadays, the inventor is in view of the above-mentioned mechanical arm point correction method, because of the existence of artificial teaching correction time is too long and delays the production cycle of the product and many other defects, so it is a tireless spirit, and with its rich professional knowledge With the help of years of practical experience, and improved, and based on this, the present invention was developed.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a method for correcting the position of a mechanical arm, in particular to a machine in which a robot arm and a receiving container structure are relatively perpendicular to each other. The arm correction method, the robot arm is one of the objects to be taken, such as the substrate of the liquid crystal panel or the semiconductor wafer, which is vertically inserted into the container structure by the automatic point correction, without causing the object to be taken. Scratch.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned implementation, the inventors propose a method for correcting the position of a mechanical arm, which at least includes the following steps: First, scanning at least three geometric blocks using a calibration module disposed on a robot arm, wherein equal geometry The block is disposed on the surface of the corresponding vertical receiving container structure; finally, the horizontal state of the surface is determined by at least three geometrical blocks, the mechanical arm receives the horizontal state, and the adjustment arm enters the vertical azimuth angle The container structure places or removes an object to be taken.

The method of mechanical arm position correction as described above, wherein the calibration module emits a laser beam and scans each geometric block in a left-right round-trip manner to determine a center point position of the geometric block.

The method of mechanical arm point correction as described above, wherein the geometric block has a projection protruding from the surface.

The method for correcting the position of the robot arm as described above, wherein the protruding portion has a surface as a cutting surface and is in a shape of one of a square, a circle, a triangle, or a polygon.

The method of mechanical arm point correction as described above, wherein the geometric block has a recessed portion recessed to the surface.

The method for correcting the position of the robot arm as described above, wherein the concave portion has a surface as a cutting surface and is in a shape of one of a square, a circle, a triangle, or a polygon.

The method for correcting the position of the robot arm as described above, wherein the object to be taken is one of a substrate of a liquid crystal panel or a wafer of a semiconductor.

Therefore, the method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention enables the robot arm to be automated by using a robotic arm correction method in which a robot arm of an adjustable teaching body is perpendicular to a plane of a container structure. Correcting one of the objects to be taken, such as a substrate or a semiconductor wafer, which is inserted into or placed in the structure of the container vertically The method of correcting the scratch of the object to be taken; in addition, the method for correcting the position of the robot arm of the present invention focuses the laser light emitted by the calibration module on at least three geometric blocks, The action of scanning the left and right of the laser beam on the geometric block to calculate the position of the center point of each geometric block, and then calculating the geometric block by forming at least three geometric blocks to form a plane The plane equation of the bit plane, that is, the plane coordinate system that determines the plane of the geometric block, determines the normal vector of the plane coordinate system, and the mechanical arm is the liquid crystal in the direction represented by the normal vector of the plane coordinate system. The substrate of the panel or the wafer of the semiconductor or the like is placed or taken out of the container structure, and the substrate or the semiconductor wafer of the liquid crystal panel is not caused to hit the container structure to cause scratching or breaking. Finally, the method for correcting the position of the robot arm of the present invention can replace the traditionally located in the liquid crystal panel factory or the semiconductor fab to perform the manual education machine. Remove the structure or placement of objects waiting mode, with a reduced learning time of the machine, to accelerate the production cycle of the product, reducing the chance of human error, as well as reduces the work load of the line art and other advantages.

(1)‧‧‧Machining arm

(11)‧‧‧ Calibration Module

(111)‧‧‧Laser beam

(2) ‧‧‧Geometric masses

(21) ‧ ‧ bulging

(3) ‧ ‧ container structure

(31) ‧‧‧ accommodating slots

(4) ‧ ‧ surface

(5) ‧ ‧ items to be taken

(S1)‧‧‧Step one

(S2)‧‧‧Step 2

The first figure: the flow chart of the steps of the method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention

The second figure: a method for correcting the position of a preferred embodiment of the present invention

The third figure: the method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention

The object of the present invention and its structural design and advantages will be explained in the light of the preferred embodiments shown in the following drawings, so that the reviewing committee can have a more in-depth and specific understanding of the present invention.

First, please refer to the first to third figures, which are flowcharts of the steps of the method for correcting the position of the robot arm of the present invention, and a schematic diagram of the position correction of the preferred embodiment thereof, and The schematic diagram of the position correction of the second preferred embodiment, wherein the method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention mainly comprises the following steps: Step 1 (S1): scanning at least three geometric blocks (2) using a calibration module (11) disposed on a robot arm (1), wherein the geometric block (2) is disposed at a corresponding vertical position On the surface (4) of the container structure (3); as shown in the second figure, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, four surfaces are provided perpendicular to the surface (4) of the container structure (3). The structure of the geometric block (2); further, as shown in the third figure, in the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is another container structure (3) in the vertical container structure (3) a structure of eight geometric blocks (2) provided on the surface (4); Step 2 (S2): determining the horizontal state of the surface (4) by at least three geometrical blocks (2), the mechanical arm (1) receiving the horizontal state, and adjusting the mechanical arm (1) to enter the vertical azimuth The container structure (3) puts or takes out an object to be taken (5); in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container structure (3) is composed of a plurality of accommodating grooves (31), and each A receiving slot is used for placing an object to be taken (5), wherein the object to be taken (5) is one of a substrate of a liquid crystal panel or a wafer of a semiconductor, etc., when using the mechanical arm point correction of the present invention When the container structure (3) prepared by the method is applied to a liquid crystal panel factory or a semiconductor fab, the robot arm (1) can be used to sandwich one of the liquid crystal panel substrate or the semiconductor wafer, and the like. The container structure (3) is accurately placed or taken out perpendicularly to the container structure (3), and has the advantage that the substrate of the liquid crystal panel or the wafer of the semiconductor is not required to be scratched by the object (5).

In addition, the calibration module (11) emits a laser beam (111) and scans each geometric block (2) back and forth to determine the center point position of the geometric block (2); The geometric block (2) has a projection (21) protruding from the surface (4), and the projection (21) has a surface (4) as a cutting surface, which is a square, a circle, a triangle or a polygon. One of the shapes; in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the geometric block (2) is a circular projection (21) having a diameter of 20 mm, and the calibration module (11) A laser beam (111) is emitted to focus on the geometric block (2); first, when the laser beam (111) is concentrated at any point on a geometric block (2), it is first to the right Moving, when the laser beam (111) detects the boundary of the geometric block (2), it moves to the other side of the geometric block (2), and the laser beam (111) detects the geometric block. The boundary of the other side of the object (2) stops scanning to calculate the distance of the scan; furthermore, when the distance of the scan does not match the length of the geometric block (2) by 20 mm, the calibration module (11) will Move to any point around the four points, and then scan the geometric block (2) left and right according to the above scanning procedure until the distance of the scan is found to be equal to the diameter of the geometric block (2); in addition, the calibration module ( 11) According to the length of the scanned geometric block (2), move the laser beam (111) to find the position of the center point of the geometric block (2) and record; after that, the calibration module (11) continues according to the above procedure Scanning the other two geometric block (2) structures, scanning the three geometric blocks (2) to determine the plane coordinates of the surface (4) of the geometric block (2) To determine the horizontal state of the surface (4); finally, the robot arm (1) will receive the horizontal state of the surface (4) and adjust the mechanical arm (1) to enter the receiving structure at an azimuth angle perpendicular to the surface (4). (3) After the object to be taken (5) is placed or removed, that is, after determining the plane coordinate system of the surface (4), the normal vector of the plane coordinate system can also be determined, and the mechanical arm (1) is the normal vector. The orientation is such that one of the substrate of the liquid crystal panel or the semiconductor wafer or the like is placed in or taken out of the container structure (3); however, it must be noted that the laser beam emitted by the calibration module (11) (111) The direction of scanning the geometric block (2) to the right is for convenience of description, and is not limited to the invention, and the skilled artisan knows the laser beam emitted by the calibration module (11) ( 111) As long as the geometric block (2) is completely scanned left or right, the left and right scanning distance of the geometric block (2) is obtained, and the actual implementation of the present invention is not affected.

Furthermore, the geometric block (2) may also have a concave portion (not shown) recessed on the surface (4), and the concave portion has a surface (4) as a cutting surface, and has a square shape and a circular shape. One of a shape such as a triangle or a polygon, in which the calibration module (11) emits a laser The beam (111) is also focused on the geometric block (2) having a recess, and the horizontal state of the surface (4) is determined by the above-mentioned calibration procedure, effectively making the robot arm (1) in a vertical orientation. The corner entering the container structure (3) puts or takes out one of the objects (5) to be taken, such as a substrate of a liquid crystal panel or a wafer of a semiconductor.

It can be seen from the above description that the method for correcting the position of the robot arm of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

1. The method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention enables the robot arm to be corrected by automatic point by means of a robotic arm correction method in which a robot arm of an adjustable teaching type is perpendicular to a plane of a container structure. Vertically extending into the structure of the container to take out or place one of the substrate of the liquid crystal panel or the wafer of the semiconductor, etc., without causing the advantage of scratching the object to be taken.

2. The method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention is to focus the laser beam emitted by the calibration module on at least three geometric blocks, and to scan the left and right of the laser beam on the geometric block. Calculate the position of the center point of each geometric block, and then calculate the plane equation of the plane of the geometric block by forming at least three geometric blocks, that is, determine the plane of the geometric block. After the plane coordinate system, the normal vector of the plane coordinate system can be determined, and the robot arm puts one of the liquid crystal panel substrate or the semiconductor wafer into the direction represented by the normal vector of the plane coordinate system or The structure of taking out the container has the advantages that the substrate of the liquid crystal panel or the wafer of the semiconductor is not caused to hit the container structure, causing scratches or breakage.

3. The method for correcting the position of the mechanical arm of the present invention can replace the traditional method of removing or placing the object to be taken by the container structure by the artificial education machine in the liquid crystal panel factory or the semiconductor fab, and has the mechanism of reducing the machine. Learning time, accelerating the production cycle of products, reducing the chances of human error, and reducing the workload of online personnel.

In summary, the method for correcting the position of the robot arm of the present invention can achieve the intended use efficiency by the above-disclosed embodiments, and the present invention has not been disclosed before the application, and has completely complied with the patent law. Regulations and requirements.爰Issuing an application for a patent for invention in accordance with the law, and asking for a review, and granting a patent, is truly sensible.

The illustrations and descriptions of the present invention are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention; those skilled in the art, which are characterized by the scope of the present invention, Equivalent variations or modifications are considered to be within the scope of the design of the invention.

(S1)‧‧‧Step one

(S2)‧‧‧Step 2

Claims (7)

A method for mechanical arm point correction includes the following steps: Step 1: Scan at least three geometric blocks using a calibration module disposed on a robot arm to calculate a center point position of each geometric block. , wherein the geometric block is disposed on a surface of the corresponding vertical container structure; and step 2: calculating a geometric block by forming the at least three geometric blocks The planar equation of the plane determines the horizontal state of the surface after determining the plane coordinate system of the plane of the geometric block. The mechanical arm receives the horizontal state, and then determines the normal vector of the plane coordinate system, and adjusts the mechanical arm. A vertical azimuth angle represented by the normal vector of the plane coordinate system enters the container structure to place or remove an object to be taken. The method for correcting a mechanical arm point according to claim 1, wherein the calibration module emits a laser beam and scans each geometric block in a left-right manner to determine the geometric block. The center point position. The method of mechanical arm position correction according to claim 1, wherein the geometric block has a protrusion protruding from the surface. The method for correcting a mechanical arm point according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein the protruding portion has one of a square, a circle, a triangle or a polygon with the surface as a cutting surface. The method of mechanical arm position correction according to claim 1, wherein the geometric block has a concave portion recessed on the surface. The method for correcting the position of a robot arm according to claim 5, wherein the concave portion has one of a square, a circle, a triangle or a polygon with the surface as a cutting surface. The method for correcting a mechanical arm point according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the object to be taken is one of a substrate of a liquid crystal panel or a wafer of a semiconductor.